<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE html
     PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
     "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">

<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<head>
  <title>Numbers and Counting - Tae Kim's Japanese grammar guide</title>
  <meta name="Author" content="Tae Kim" />
  <meta name="Description" content="A guide to Japanese grammar." />
  <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />
  <link rel="shortcut icon" href="favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon" />

  <style type="text/css">
     @import url('style.css');
  </style>

    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="print.css" media="print" />

</head>

<body>
<h1>3 licks to get to the center of a tootsie roll lollipop</h1>
<table align="right" cellpadding="3">
<tr align="center">
	<td>
		<a href="requests.html">← Previous (Making requests)</a> |
	</td>
	<td>
		<a href="index.html#contents">Table of Contents</a>
	</td>
	<td>
		| <a href="wrapup4.html">Next (Wrapping up) →</a>
	</td>
</tr>
</table>

<br /><br />

<p align="right"><i>What! ...is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?</i>
<br />-Holy Grail Bridgekeeper</p>

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<tr><td>
<div class="outline">
<!-- outline menu -->
<center><span class="summary">Outline</span></center>
<ol>
<li><a href="#part1">Numbers and Amounts</a></li>
<li><a href="#part2">The Number System</a></li>
<li><a href="#part3">Counting and Counters</a></li>
<li><a href="#part4">Using 「<span title="め - counter for the nth item or event, eye(s)" class="popup">目</span>」 to show order</a></li>
</ol>
</div>
</td></tr>
</table>


<h2 id="part1">Numbers and Amounts</h2>
Numbers and counting in Japanese are difficult enough to require its own section.  First of all, the number system is in units of four instead of
three, which can make converting into English quite difficult.  Also, there are things called counters, which are required to count different types of
objects, animals, or people.  We will learn the most generic and widely used counters to get you started so that you can learn more on your own.
To be honest, counters might be the only thing that'll make you want to quit learning Japanese, it's that bad.  I recommend you digest only a little
bit of this section at a time because it's awfully a lot of things to memorize.

<h2 id="part2">The Number System</h2>
The Japanese number system is spread into units of four.  So a number such as 10,000,000 is actually split up as 1000,0000.  However, thanks
to the strong influence of the Western world and the standardization of numbers, when numbers are actually written, the split-off is three digits.
Here are the first ten numbers.

<p />
<center>
<table border="1" cellpadding="5">

<tr align="center"><th>Numerals</th><td>1</td><td>2</td><td>3</td><td>4</td><td>5</td><td>6</td><td>7</td><td>8</td><td>9</td><td>10</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center">
	<th><span title="かんじ - kanji" class="popup">漢字</span></th>
	<td><span title="いち - one" class="popup">一</span></td>
	<td><span title="に - two" class="popup">二</span></td>
	<td><span title="さん - three" class="popup">三</span></td>
	<td><span title="し、よん - four" class="popup">四</span></td>
	<td><span title="ご - five" class="popup">五</span></td>
	<td><span title="ろく - six" class="popup">六</span></td>
	<td><span title="しち、なな - seven" class="popup">七</span></td>
	<td><span title="はち - eight" class="popup">八</span></td>
	<td><span title="きゅう - nine" class="popup">九</span></td>
	<td><span title="じゅう - ten" class="popup">十</span></td>
</tr>
<tr align="center">
	<th><span title="ひらがな - hiragana" class="popup">ひらがな</span></th>
	<td><span title="いち - one" class="popup">いち</span></td>
	<td><span title="に - two" class="popup">に</span></td>
	<td><span title="さん - three" class="popup">さん</span></td>
	<td><span title="し - four" class="popup">し</span>／<span title="よん - four" class="popup">よん</span></td>
	<td><span title="ご - five" class="popup">ご</span></td>
	<td><span title="ろく - six" class="popup">ろく</span></td>
	<td><span title="しち - seven" class="popup">しち</span>／<span title="なな - seven" class="popup">なな</span></td>
	<td><span title="はち - eight" class="popup">はち</span></td>
	<td><span title="きゅう - nine" class="popup">きゅう</span></td>
	<td><span title="じゅう - ten" class="popup">じゅう</span></td>
</tr>

</table>
</center>

<p>As the chart indicates, 4 can either be 「<span title="し - four" class="popup">し</span>」 or 「<span title="よん - four" class="popup">よん</span>」 and 7 can
either be 「<span title="しち - seven" class="popup">しち</span>」 or 「<span title="なな - seven" class="popup">なな</span>」.  Basically, both are acceptable up to 10.
However, past ten, the reading is almost always 「<span title="よん - four" class="popup">よん</span>」 and 「<span title="なな - seven" class="popup">なな</span>」.
In general, 「<span title="よん - four" class="popup">よん</span>」 and 「<span title="なな - seven" class="popup">なな</span>」 are preferred over
「<span title="し - four" class="popup">し</span>」 and 「<span title="しち - seven" class="popup">しち</span>」 in most circumstances.
</p>

<p>You can simply count from 1 to 99 with just these ten numbers.  Japanese is easier than English in this respect because you do not have to
memorize separate words such as "twenty" or "fifty".  In Japanese, it's simply just "two ten" and "five ten".
</p>

<p>
（１）　三十一 （さんじゅういち） = 31
<br />（２）　五十四 （ごじゅうよん）= 54
<br />（３）　七十七 （ななじゅうなな）= 77
<br />（４）　二十 （にじゅう） = 20
</p>
<p>Notice that numbers are either always written in kanji or numerals because hiragana can get rather long and hard to decipher.
</p>

<h3>Numbers past 99</h3>
Here are the higher numbers:
<br />
<center>
<table border="1" cellpadding="5">
<tr align="center"><th>Numerals</th><td>100</td><td>1,000</td><td>10,000</td><td>10^8</td><td>10^12</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center">
	<th><span title="かんじ - kanji" class="popup">漢字</span></th>
	<td><span title="ひゃく - unit for hundred" class="popup">百</span></td>
	<td><span title="せん - unit for thousand" class="popup">千</span></td>
	<td><span title="まん - unit for ten-thousand" class="popup">万</span></td>
	<td><span title="おく - unit for hundred-million" class="popup">億</span></td>
	<td><span title="ちょう - unit for trillion" class="popup">兆</span></td>
</tr>
<tr align="center">
	<th><span title="ひらがな - hiragana" class="popup">ひらがな</span></th>
	<td><span title="ひゃく - unit for hundred" class="popup">ひゃく</span></td>
	<td><span title="せん - unit for thousand" class="popup">せん</span></td>
	<td><span title="まん - unit for ten-thousand" class="popup">まん</span></td>
	<td><span title="おく - unit for hundred-million" class="popup">おく</span></td>
	<td><span title="ちょう - unit for trillion" class="popup">ちょう</span></td>
</tr>
</table>
</center>

<p>Notice how the numbers jumped four digits from 10^4 to 10^8 between <span title="まん - unit for ten-thousand" class="popup">万</span> and
<span title="おく - unit for hundred-million" class="popup">億</span>?  That's because Japanese is divided into units of four.
Once you get past 1万 (10,000), you start all over until you reach 9,999万, then it rotates to <span title="いちおく - one hundred million" class="popup">1億</span>
(100,000,000).  By the way, <span title="ひゃく - one hundred" class="popup">百</span> is 100 and <span title="せん - one thousand" class="popup">千</span> is 1,000, but anything
past that, and you need to attach a 1 so the rest of the units become <span title="いちまん - ten thousand" class="popup">一万</span> (10^4)、<span title="いちおく - one hundred million" class="popup">一億</span> (10^8)、<span title="いっちょう - one trillion" class="popup">一兆</span> (10^12).
</p>
<p> Now you can count up to 9,999,999,999,999,999 or 9,999兆 just by chaining the numbers same as before.  This is where the problems start, however.
Try saying 「いちちょう」 、「ろくひゃく」、「さんせん」  really quickly, you'll notice it's difficult because of the repetition of similar consonant sounds.
Therefore, Japanese people have decided to make it easier on themselves by pronouncing them as 「<span title="いっちょう - one trillion" class="popup">いっちょう</span>」、
「<span title="ろっぴゃく - six hundred" class="popup">ろっぴゃく</span>」、and 「<span title="さんぜん - three thousand" class="popup">さんぜん</span>」.  We
already discussed this near the end of the <a href="kanji.html">Kanji</a> section.  Unfortunately, it makes it all the harder for you to remember
when to pronounce what.  Here are all the slight sound changes.
</p>

<center>
<table border="1" cellpadding="5">
<tr align="center">
	<th>Numerals</th>
	<th><span title="かんじ - kanji" class="popup">漢字</span></th>
	<th><span title="ひらがな - hiragana" class="popup">ひらがな</span></th>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><td>300</td><td><span title="さんびゃく - three hundred" class="popup">三百</span></td><td><span title="さんびゃく - three hundred" class="popup">さんびゃく</span></td>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><td>600</td><td><span title="ろっぴゃく - six hundred" class="popup">六百</span></td><td><span title="ろっぴゃく - six hundred" class="popup">ろっぴゃく</span></td>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><td>800</td><td><span title="はっぴゃく - eight hundred" class="popup">八百</span></td><td><span title="はっぴゃく - eight hundred" class="popup">はっぴゃく</span></td>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><td>3000</td><td><span title="さんぜん - three thousand" class="popup">三千</span></td><td><span title="さんぜん - three thousand" class="popup">さんぜん</span></td>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><td>8000</td><td><span title="はっせん - eight thousand" class="popup">八千</span></td><td><span title="はっせん - eight thousand" class="popup">はっせん</span></td>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><td>10^12</td><td><span title="いっちょう - one trillion" class="popup">一兆</span></td><td><span title="いっちょう - one trillion" class="popup">いっちょう</span></td>
</tr>
</table>
</center>

<p>
（１）　四万三千七十六 （よんまんさんぜんななじゅうろく） = 43,076
<br />（２）　七億六百二十四万九千二百二十二 （ななおくろっぴゃくにじゅうよんまんきゅうせんにひゃくにじゅうに） = 706,249,222
<br />（３）　五百兆二万一 （ごひゃくちょうにまんいち） = 500,000,000,020,001
</p>

<p>Notice that it is customary to write large numbers only in numerals as even kanji can become difficult to decipher.
</p>

<p>Some of you may be clamoring for larger numbers but you'll hardly ever use 「<span title="おく - unit for hundred-million" class="popup">億</span>」 much less
「<span title="ちょう - unit for trillion" class="popup">兆</span>」.  I will guarantee that you will not need to
know this but I looked up a <a href="http://macky0625.hp.infoseek.co.jp/ookazukokazu.htm">list</a> for curiosity's sake.
</p>

<h3>Numbers smaller or less than 1</h3>
Zero in Japanese is 「<span title="れい - zero" class="popup">零</span>」 but 「<span title="ゼロ - zero" class="popup">ゼロ</span>」 or 「<span title="マル - 'O' or zero" class="popup">マル</span>」 is more common in modern Japanese.  There is no special method for reading decimals, you simply say 「<span title="てん - period, point" class="popup">点</span>」 for the dot and read each individual number after the decimal point.  Here's an example:
<br />（１） 0.0021 - <span title="ゼロ - zero" class="popup">ゼロ</span>、<span title="てん - period, point" class="popup">点</span>、<span title="ゼロ - zero" class="popup">ゼロ</span>、<span title="ゼロ - zero" class="popup">ゼロ</span>、<span title="に - two" class="popup">二</span>、<span title="いち - one" class="popup">一</span>。

<p>For negative numbers, everything is the same as positive numbers except that you say 「<span title="マイナス - minus" class="popup">マイナス</span>」 first.
<br />（１） <span title="マイナス - minus" class="popup">マイナス</span>二十九 = -29
</p>

<h2 id="part3">Counting and Counters</h2>
Ah, and now we come to the fun part.  In Japanese, when you are simply counting numbers, everything is just as you would expect,
<span title="いち - one" class="popup">一</span>、<span title="に - two" class="popup">二</span>、<span title="さん - three" class="popup">三</span>、
and so on.  However, if you want to count any type of object, you have to use something called a counter which depends on what type of object
you are counting and on top of this, there are various sound changes similar to the ones we saw with <span title="ろっぴゃく - six hundred" class="popup">六百</span>, etc..  The counter themselves are
usually single kanji characters that often have a special reading just for the counter.  First, let's learn the counters for dates

<h3>Dates</h3>
The year is very easy.  All you have to do is say the number and add 「<span title="ねん - counter for year" class="popup">年</span>」 which is pronounced here as
「<span title="ねん - counter for year" class="popup">ねん</span>」.  For example, Year 2003 becomes <span title="にせんさんねん - Year 2003" class="popup">2003年</span>
(にせんさんねん）.  The catch is that there is another calendar which starts over every time a new emperor ascends the throne.  The year is
preceded by the era, for example this year is: <span title="へいせい - Heisei era" class="popup">平成</span><span title="じゅうごねん - Year 15" class="popup">15年</span>.  My birthday, 1981 is
<span title="しょうわ - Showa era" class="popup">昭和</span><span title="ごじゅうろく - Year 56" class="popup">56年</span> (The Showa era lasted from 1926 to 1989).
You may think that you don't need to know this but if you're going to be filling out forms in Japan, they often ask you for your birthday or the
current date in the Japanese calendar （<span title="われき - Japanese calendar" class="popup">和暦</span>）. So here's a <a href="http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2272.html">neat converter</a> you can use to convert to the Japanese calendar.
<p>Saying the months is actually easier than English because all you have to do is write the number (either in numerals or kanji)
of the month and add 「<span title="がつ - counter for month" class="popup">月</span>」 which is read as
「<span title="がつ - counter for month" class="popup">がつ</span>」.  However, you need to pay attention to April
（<span title="しがつ - April" class="popup">４月</span>）, July （<span title="しちがつ - July" class="popup">７月</span>）, and September
（<span title="くがつ - September" class="popup">９月</span>） which are pronounced 「<span title="しがつ - April" class="popup">しがつ</span>」、
「<span title="しちがつ - July" class="popup">しちがつ</span>」、and 「<span title="くがつ - September" class="popup">くがつ</span>」 respectively.
</p>
<p>Finally, we get to the days of the month, which is where the headache starts.  The first day of the month is
「<span title="ついたち - the first of the month" class="popup">ついたち</span>」 （<span title="ついたち - the first of the month" class="popup">一日</span>）;
<i>different</i> from 「<span title="いちにち - one day" class="popup">いちにち</span>」　（<span title="いちにち - one day" class="popup">一日</span>）, which
means "one day".  Besides this and some other exceptions we'll soon cover, you can simply say the number and add
「<span title="にち - counter for day" class="popup">日</span>」 which is pronounced
here as 「<span title="にち - counter for day" class="popup">にち</span>」.  For example, the 26th becomes <span title="にじゅうろくにち - the 26th of the month" class="popup">26日</span> （<span title="にじゅうろくにち - the 26th of the month" class="popup">にじゅうろくにち</span>）.  Pretty simple,
<i>however</i>, the first 10 days, the 14th, 19th, 20th, 29th have special readings that
you must separately memorize.  If you like memorizing things, you'll have a ball here.  Notice that the kanji doesn't change but the reading does.
</p>

<center>
<table border="1" cellpadding="5">
<tr align="center">
	<th><span title="えいご - English" class="popup">英<br />語</span></th>
	<td>the 1st</td>
	<td>the 2nd</td>
	<td>the 3rd</td>
	<td>the 4th</td>
	<td>the 5th</td>
	<td>the 6th</td>
	<td>the 7th</td>
	<td>the 8th</td>
	<td>the 9th</td>
	<td>the 10th</td>
	<td>the 14th</td>
	<td>the 19th</td>
	<td>the 20th</td>
	<td>the 24th</td>
	<td>the 29th</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center">
	<th><span title="かんじ - kanji" class="popup">漢<br />字</span></th>
	<td><span title="ついたち - the 1st of the month" class="popup">一<br />日</span></td>
	<td><span title="ふつか - the 2nd of the month" class="popup">二<br />日</span></td>
	<td><span title="みっか - the 3rd of the month" class="popup">三<br />日</span></td>
	<td><span title="よっか - the 4th of the month" class="popup">四<br />日</span></td>
	<td><span title="いつか - the 5th of the month" class="popup">五<br />日</span></td>
	<td><span title="むいか - the 6th of the month" class="popup">六<br />日</span></td>
	<td><span title="ないか - the 7th of the month" class="popup">七<br />日</span></td>
	<td><span title="ようか - the 8th of the month" class="popup">八<br />日</span></td>
	<td><span title="ここのか - the 9th of the month" class="popup">九<br />日</span></td>
	<td><span title="とおか - the 10th of the month" class="popup">十<br />日</span></td>
	<td><span title="じゅうよっか - the 14th of the month" class="popup">十<br />四<br />日</span></td>
	<td><span title="じゅうくにち - the 19th of the month" class="popup">十<br />九<br />日</span></td>
	<td><span title="はつか - the 20th of the month" class="popup">二<br />十<br />日</span></td>
	<td><span title="にじゅうよっか - the 24th of the month" class="popup">二<br />十<br />四<br />日</span></td>
	<td><span title="にじゅうくにち - the 29th of the month" class="popup">二<br />十<br />九<br />日</span></td>
</tr>
<tr align="center">
	<th><span title="ひらがな - hiragana" class="popup">ひ<br />ら<br />が<br />な</span></th>
	<td><span title="ついたち - the 1st of the month" class="popup">つ<br />い<br />た<br />ち</span></td>
	<td><span title="ふつか - the 2nd of the month" class="popup">ふ<br />つ<br />か</span></td>
	<td><span title="みっか - the 3rd of the month" class="popup">み<br />っ<br />か</span></td>
	<td><span title="よっか - the 4th of the month" class="popup">よ<br />っ<br />か</span></td>
	<td><span title="いつか - the 5th of the month" class="popup">い<br />つ<br />か</span></td>
	<td><span title="むいか - the 6th of the month" class="popup">む<br />い<br />か</span></td>
	<td><span title="ないか - the 7th of the month" class="popup">な<br />の<br />か</span></td>
	<td><span title="ようか - the 8th of the month" class="popup">よ<br />う<br />か</span></td>
	<td><span title="ここのか - the 9th of the month" class="popup">こ<br />こ<br />の<br />か</span></td>
	<td><span title="とおか - the 10th of the month" class="popup">と<br />お<br />か<br /></span></td>
	<td><span title="じゅうよっか - the 14th of the month" class="popup">じ<br />ゅ<br />う<br />よ<br />っ<br />か</span></td>
	<td><span title="じゅうくにち - the 19th of the month" class="popup">じ<br />ゅ<br />う<br />く<br />に<br />ち</span></td>
	<td><span title="はつか - the 20th of the month" class="popup">は<br />つ<br />か</span></td>
	<td><span title="にじゅうよっか - the 24th of the month" class="popup">に<br />じ<br />ゅ<br />う<br />よ<br />っ<br />か</span></td>
	<td><span title="にじゅうくにち - the 29th of the month" class="popup">に<br />じ<br />ゅ<br />う<br />く<br />に<br />ち</span></td>
</tr>
</table>
</center>

<p>In Japan, the full format for dates follows the international date format and looks like: XXXX年YY月ZZ日.  For example, today's date would be:
<span title="にせんさんねん - Year 2003" class="popup">2003年</span><span title="じゅうにがつ - December" class="popup">12月</span>
<span title="ふつか - the 2nd of the month" class="popup">2日</span>
</p>

<h3>Time</h3>
Now, we'll learn how to tell time.  The hour is given by saying the number and adding 「<span title="じ - counter for hour(s)" class="popup">時</span>」
which is pronounced here as 「<span title="じ - counter for hour(s)" class="popup">じ</span>」.  Here is a chart of exceptions to look out for.
<br />

<center>
<table border="1" cellpadding="5">
<tr align="center"><th><span title="えいご - English" class="popup">英語</span></th><td>4 o'clock</td><td>7 o'clock</td><td>9 o'clock</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center">
	<th><span title="かんじ - kanji" class="popup">漢字</span></th>
	<td><span title="よじ - 4 o'clock" class="popup">四時</span></td>
	<td><span title="しちじ - 7 o'clock" class="popup">七時</span></td>
	<td><span title="くじ - 9 o'clock" class="popup">九時</span></td>
</tr>
<tr align="center">
	<th><span title="ひらがな - hiragana" class="popup">ひらがな</span></th>
	<td><span title="よじ - 4 o'clock" class="popup">よじ</span></td>
	<td><span title="しちじ - 7 o'clock" class="popup">しちじ</span></td>
	<td><span title="くじ - 9 o'clock" class="popup">くじ</span></td>
</tr>
</table>
</center>
<br />
Notice how the numbers 4, 7, and 9 keep coming up to be a pain in the butt?  Well, those and sometimes 1, 6 and 8 are the numbers to watch out
for.

<p>The minutes are given by adding 「<span title="ふん - counter for minute(s)" class="popup">分</span>」 which usually read as
「<span title="ふん - counter for minute(s)" class="popup">ふん</span>」 with the following exceptions:
</p>

<center>
<table border="1" cellpadding="5">
<tr align="center">
	<th><span title="えいご - English" class="popup">英語</span></th>
	<td>1 min</td><td>3 min</td><td>4 min</td><td>6 min</td><td>8 min</td><td>10 min</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center">
	<th><span title="かんじ - kanji" class="popup">漢字</span></th>
	<td><span title="いっぷん - 1 minute" class="popup">一分</span></td>
	<td><span title="さんぷん - 3 minutes" class="popup">三分</span></td>
	<td><span title="よんぷん - 4 minutes" class="popup">四分</span></td>
	<td><span title="ろっぷん - 6 minutes" class="popup">六分</span></td>
	<td><span title="はっぷん - 8 minutes" class="popup">八分</span></td>
	<td><span title="じゅっぷん - 10 minutes" class="popup">十分</span></td>
</tr>
<tr align="center">
	<th><span title="ひらがな - hiragana" class="popup">ひらがな</span></th>
	<td><span title="いっぷん - 1 minute" class="popup">いっぷん</span></td>
	<td><span title="さんぷん - 3 minutes" class="popup">さんぷん</span></td>
	<td><span title="よんぷん - 4 minutes" class="popup">よんぷん</span></td>
	<td><span title="ろっぷん - 6 minutes" class="popup">ろっぷん</span></td>
	<td><span title="はっぷん - 8 minutes" class="popup">はっぷん</span></td>
	<td><span title="じゅっぷん - 10 minutes" class="popup">じゅっぷん</span></td>
</tr>
</table>
</center>

<p>For higher number, you use the normal pronunciation for the higher digits and
rotate around the same readings for 1 to 10. For instance, 24 minutes is 「<span title="にじゅうよんぷん - 24 minutes" class="popup">にじゅうよんぷん</span>」
（<span title="にじゅうよんぷん - 24 minutes" class="popup">二十四分</span>） while
30 minutes is 「<span title="さんじゅっぷん - 30 minutes" class="popup">さんじゅっぷん</span>」
（<span title="さんじゅっぷん - 30 minutes" class="popup">三十分</span>）.
There are also other less common but still correct pronunciations such as 「<span title="はちふん - 8 minutes" class="popup">はちふん</span>」 for
「<span title="はちふん - 8 minutes" class="popup">八分</span>」 and 「<span title="じっぷん - 10 minutes" class="popup">じっぷん</span>」 for
「<span title="じっぷん - 10 minutes" class="popup">十分</span>」 (this one is almost never used).
</p>

<p>All readings for seconds consists of the number plus 「<span title="びょう - counter for second(s)" class="popup">秒</span>」, which is read as
「<span title="びょう - counter for second(s)" class="popup">びょう</span>」. There are no exceptions for seconds and all the readings
are the same. </p>

<p>Some examples of time.
<br />（１） 1時24分（いちじ・にじゅうよんぷん） - 1:24
<br />（２） 午後4時10分 （ごご・よじ・じゅっぷん） - 4:10 PM
<br />（３） 午前9時16分 （ごぜん・くじ・じゅうろっぷん） - 9:16 AM
<br />（４） 13時16分 （じゅうさんじ・じゅうろっぷん） - 13:16
<br />（５） 2時18分13秒 （にじ・じゅうはっぷん・じゅうさんびょう） - 2:18:13
</p>

<h3>A Span of Time</h3>
Ha!  I bet you thought you were done with dates and time, well guess again.  This time we will learn counters for counting spans of time, days,
months, and years.  The basic counter for a span of time is 「<span title="かん - designates a span of time or space" class="popup">間</span>」, which is read as
「<span title="かん - designates a span of time or space" class="popup">かん</span>」.  You can attach it to the end of hours, days, weeks,
and years.  Minutes (in general) and seconds do not need this counter and months have a separate counter, which we will cover next.

<p>（１）　二時間四十分 （にじかん・よんじゅっぷん） - 2 hours and 40 minutes
<br />（２）　二十日間 （はつかかん） - 20 days
<br />（３）　十五日間 （じゅうごにちかん） - 15 days
<br />（４）　二年間 （にねんかん） - two years
<br />（５）　三週間 （さんしゅうかん） - three weeks
<br />（６） 　一日 （いちにち） - 1 day
<br />As mentioned before, a period of one day is 「<span title="いちにち - one day" class="popup">一日</span>」
（<span title="いちにち - one day" class="popup">いちにち</span>） which is different from the 1st of the month:
「<span title="ついたち - the first of the month" class="popup">ついたち</span>」.
</p>
<p>
Pronunciations to watch out for when counting weeks is one week: 「<span title="いっしゅうかん - span of one week" class="popup">一週間</span>」
（<span title="いっしゅうかん - span of one week" class="popup">いっしゅうかん</span>） and 8 weeks:
「<span title="はっしゅうかん - span of eight weeks" class="popup">八週間</span>」 （<span title="はっしゅうかん - span of eight weeks" class="popup">はっしゅうかん</span>）.
</p>

<p>To count the number of months, you simple take a regular number and add 「か」 and 「<span title="げつ - counter for number of month(s)" class="popup">月</span>」
which is pronounced here as 「<span title="げつ - counter for number of month(s)" class="popup">げつ</span>」 and <i>not</i>
「<span title="がつ - counter for month" class="popup">がつ</span>」.  The 「か」 used in this counter  is usually written as a small katakana 「ヶ」 which is confusing because
it's still pronounced as 「か」 and not 「け」.  The small 「ヶ」 is actually totally different from the katakana 「ケ」 and is really an abbreviation for the kanji
「箇」, the original kanji for the counter. This small 「ヶ」 is also used in some place names such as 「<span title="せんだがや - Sendagaya" class="popup">千駄<em>ヶ</em>谷</span>」 and
other counters, such as the counter for location described in the "Other Counters" section below.
</p>

<p>In counting months, you should watch out for the following sound changes:</p>

<center>
<table border="1" cellpadding="5">
<tr align="center"><th><span title="えいご - English" class="popup">英語</span></th><td>1 month</td><td>6 months</td><td>10 months</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center">
	<th><span title="かんじ - kanji" class="popup">漢字</span></th>
	<td><span title="いっかげつ - span of one month" class="popup">一ヶ月</span></td>
	<td><span title="ろっかげつ - span of six months" class="popup">六ヶ月</span></td>
	<td><span title="じゅっかげつ - span of ten months" class="popup">十ヶ月</span></td>
</tr>
<tr align="center">
	<th><span title="ひらがな - hiragana" class="popup">ひらがな</span></th>
	<td><span title="いっかげつ - span of one month" class="popup">いっかげつ</span></td>
	<td><span title="ろっかげつ - span of six months" class="popup">ろっかげつ</span></td>
	<td><span title="じゅっかげつ - span of ten months" class="popup">じゅっかげつ</span></td>
</tr>
</table>
</center>

<p>Just like minutes, the high numbers rotate back using the same sounds for 1 to 10.
<br />（１）　十一ヶ月 （じゅういっかげつ） - Eleven months
<br />（２）　二十ヶ月 （にじゅっかげつ） - Twenty months
<br />（３）　三十三ヶ月 （さんじゅうさんかげつ） - Thirty three months
</p>


<h3>Other Counters</h3>
We'll cover some of the most common counters so that you'll be familiar with how counters work.  This will hopefully allow you to learn other
counters on your own because there are too many to even consider covering them all.  The important thing to remember is that using the wrong
counter is grammatically incorrect.  If you are counting people, you <b>must</b> use the people counter, etc.  Sometimes, it is acceptable to use
a more generic counter when a less commonly used counter applies.  Here are some counters.

<p />
<center>
<table border="1" cellpadding="5">
<tr align="center"><th><span title="にほんご - Japanese language" class="popup">日本語</span></th><th>When to Use</th></tr>
<tr align="center"><td><span title="にん - counter for people" class="popup">人</span></td><td>To count the number of people</td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td><span title="ほん - counter for long, cylindrical objects" class="popup">本</span></td><td>To count long, cylindrical objects such as bottles or chopsticks</td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td><span title="まい - counter for thin objects" class="popup">枚</span></td><td>To count thin objects such as paper or shirts</td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td><span title="さつ - counter for bound objects" class="popup">冊</span></td><td>To count bound objects usually books</td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td><span title="ひき - counter for small animals" class="popup">匹</span></td><td>To count small animals like cats or dogs</td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td><span title="さい - counter for age" class="popup">歳</span></td><td>To count the age of a living creatures such as people</td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td><span title="こ - counter for small (often round) objects" class="popup">個</span></td><td>To count small (often round) objects</td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td><span title="かい - counter for number of times" class="popup">回</span></td><td>To count number of times</td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td><span title="かしょ - counter for number of locations" class="popup">ヶ所（箇所）</span></td><td>To count number of locations</td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td><span title="つ - generic counter" class="popup">つ</span></td><td>To count any generic object that has a rare or no counter</td></tr>
</table>
</center>

<p />
<center>
<table border="1" cellpadding="5">
<caption>Counting 1 to 10 (some variations might exist)</caption>
<tr align="center">
	<td></td>
	<th><span title="にん - counter for people" class="popup">人</span></th>
	<th><span title="ほん - counter for long, cylindrical objects" class="popup">本</span></th>
	<th><span title="まい - counter for thin objects" class="popup">枚</span></th>
	<th><span title="さつ - counter for bound objects" class="popup">冊</span></th>
	<th><span title="ひき - counter for small animals" class="popup">匹</span></th>
	<th><span title="さい - counter for age" class="popup">歳</span></th>
	<th><span title="こ - counter for small (often round) objects" class="popup">個</span></th>
	<th><span title="かい - counter for number of times" class="popup">回</span></th>
	<th><span title="かしょ - counter for number of locations" class="popup">ヶ所（箇所）</span></th>
	<th><span title="つ - generic counter" class="popup">つ</span></th>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><th>1</th>
	<td><em>ひとり</em></td>
	<td><em>いっぽん</em></td>
	<td>いちまい</td>
	<td><em>いっさつ</em></td>
	<td><em>いっぴき</em></td>
	<td><em>いっさい</em></td>
	<td><em>いっこ</em></td>
	<td><em>いっかい</em></td>
	<td><em>いっかしょ</em></td>
	<td><em>ひとつ</em></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><th>2</th>
	<td><em>ふたり</em></td>
	<td>にほん</td>
	<td>にまい</td>
	<td>にさつ</td>
	<td>にひき</td>
	<td>にさい</td>
	<td>にこ</td>
	<td>にかい</td>
	<td>にかしょ</td>
	<td><em>ふたつ</em></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><th>3</th>
	<td>さんにん</td>
	<td><em>さんぼん</em></td>
	<td>さんまい</td>
	<td>さんさつ</td>
	<td><em>さんびき</em></td>
	<td>さんさい</td>
	<td>さんこ</td>
	<td>さんかい</td>
	<td>さんかしょ</td>
	<td><em>みっつ</em></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><th>4</th>
	<td>よにん</td>
	<td>よんほん</td>
	<td>よんまい</td>
	<td>よんさつ</td>
	<td>よんひき</td>
	<td>よんさい</td>
	<td>よんこ</td>
	<td>よんかい</td>
	<td>よんかしょ</td>
	<td><em>よっつ</em></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><th>5</th>
	<td>ごにん</td>
	<td>ごほん</td>
	<td>ごまい</td>
	<td>ごさつ</td>
	<td>ごひき</td>
	<td>ごさい</td>
	<td>ごこ</td>
	<td>ごかい</td>
	<td>ごかしょ</td>
	<td><em>いつつ</em></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><th>6</th>
	<td>ろくにん</td>
	<td><em>ろっぽん</em></td>
	<td>ろくまい</td>
	<td>ろくさつ</td>
	<td><em>ろっぴき</em></td>
	<td>ろくさい</td>
	<td><em>ろっこ</em></td>
	<td><em>ろっかい</em></td>
	<td><em>ろっかしょ</em></td>
	<td><em>むっつ</em></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><th>7</th>
	<td><em>しちにん</em></td>
	<td>ななほん</td>
	<td>ななまい</td>
	<td>ななさつ</td>
	<td>ななひき</td>
	<td>ななさい</td>
	<td>ななこ</td>
	<td>ななかい</td>
	<td>ななかしょ</td>
	<td><em>ななつ</em></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><th>8</th>
	<td>はちにん</td>
	<td>はちほん</td>
	<td>はちまい</td>
	<td><em>はっさつ</em></td>
	<td><em>はっぴき</em></td>
	<td><em>はっさい</em></td>
	<td><em>はっこ</em></td>
	<td>はちかい</td>
	<td><em>はっかしょ</em></td>
	<td><em>やっつ</em></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><th>9</th>
	<td>きゅうにん</td>
	<td>きゅうほん</td>
	<td>きゅうまい</td>
	<td>きゅうさつ</td>
	<td>きゅうひき</td>
	<td>きゅうさい</td>
	<td>きゅうこ</td>
	<td>きゅうかい</td>
	<td>きゅうかしょ</td>
	<td><em>ここのつ</em></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><th>10</th>
	<td>じゅうにん</td>
	<td><em>じゅっぽん</em></td>
	<td>じゅうまい</td>
	<td><em>じゅっさつ</em></td>
	<td><em>じゅっぴき</em></td>
	<td><em>じゅっさい</em></td>
	<td><em>じゅっこ</em></td>
	<td><em>じゅっかい</em></td>
	<td><em>じゅっかしょ</em></td>
	<td><em>とお</em></td></tr>
</table>
</center>

<p>The changed sounds have been highlighted.
You don't count 0 because there is nothing to count.  You can simply use 「<span title="ある - to exist (inanimate)" class="popup">ない</span>」 or
「<span title="いる - to exist (animate)" class="popup">いない</span>」. The chart has hiragana for pronunciation but, as before,
it is usually written with either numbers or kanji plus the counter with the single exception of 「<span title="とお - ten things" class="popup">とお</span>」 which is
simply written as 「<span title="とお - ten things" class="popup">十</span>」.
<br />For higher numbers, it's the same as before, you use
the normal pronunciation for the higher digits and rotate around the same readings for 1 to 10 except for 「<span title="ひとり - one person" class="popup">一人</span>」
and 「<span title="ふたり - two people" class="popup">二人</span>」 which transforms to the normal 「<span title="いち - one" class="popup">いち</span>」
and 「<span title="に - two" class="popup">に</span>」 once you get past the first two. So 「<span title="ひとり - one person" class="popup">一人</span>」 is
「<span title="ひとり - one person" class="popup">ひとり</span>」 while 「<span title="じゅういちにん - eleven people" class="popup">11人</span>」 is
「<span title="じゅういちにん - eleven people" class="popup">じゅういちにん</span>」.
Also, the generic counter 「～つ」 only applies up to exactly ten items.  Past that, you can just use regular plain numbers.
</p>
<p>Note: The counter for age is often sometimes written as 「<span title="さい - simplified counter for age" class="popup">才</span>」 for those who don't have the
time to write out the more complex kanji.  Plus, age 20 is usually read as 「<span title="はたち - 20 years old" class="popup">はたち</span>」 and not 「にじゅっさい」.
</p>

<h2 id="part4">Using 「<span title="め - counter for the nth item or event, eye(s)" class="popup">目</span>」 to show order</h2>
You can attach 「<span title="め - counter for the nth item or event, eye(s)" class="popup">目</span>」 (read as
「<span title="め - counter for the nth item or event, eye(s)" class="popup">め</span>」) to various counters to indicate the order.  The most common example is
the 「<span title="ばん - counter for place or ranking" class="popup">番</span>」 counter.
For example, 「<span title="いちばん - number one" class="popup">一番</span>」　which means "number one" becomes "the first" when you add
「<span title="め - counter for the nth item or event, eye(s)" class="popup">目</span>」 （<span title="いちばんめ - the first one" class="popup">一番目</span>）.
Similarly, 「<span title="いっかいめ - the first time" class="popup">一回目</span>」 is the first time,
「<span title="にかいめ - the second time" class="popup">二回目</span>」 is the second time, 「<span title="よにんめ - the fourth person" class="popup">四人目</span>」
is the fourth person, and so on.

<div class="botmenu">
<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="15">
  <tr>
    <td><a href="requests.html">← Previous (Making requests)</a></td>
    <td><a href="index.html#contents">Table of Contents</a></td>
    <td><a href="wrapup4.html">Next (Wrapping up) →</a></td>
  </tr>
</table>
</div>
<br />
<div class="footer">
<!-- Creative Commons License -->
<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" border="0" src="http://creativecommons.org/images/public/somerights20.gif" /></a><br />
This work is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/">Creative Commons License</a>.
<!-- /Creative Commons License -->


<!--

<rdf:RDF xmlns="http://web.resource.org/cc/"
    xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
    xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#">
<Work rdf:about="">
   <dc:type rdf:resource="http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text" />
   <license rdf:resource="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/" />
</Work>

<License rdf:about="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/">
   <permits rdf:resource="http://web.resource.org/cc/Reproduction" />
   <permits rdf:resource="http://web.resource.org/cc/Distribution" />
   <requires rdf:resource="http://web.resource.org/cc/Notice" />
   <requires rdf:resource="http://web.resource.org/cc/Attribution" />
   <prohibits rdf:resource="http://web.resource.org/cc/CommercialUse" />
   <permits rdf:resource="http://web.resource.org/cc/DerivativeWorks" />
   <requires rdf:resource="http://web.resource.org/cc/ShareAlike" />
</License>

</rdf:RDF>

-->
<p class="copyright">Copyright &copy; 2003-2007 Tae Kim (taekim.japanese AT gmail.com)</p>
<p>
<a href="http://www.guidetojapanese.org/forum/viewforum.php?id=18">Report a correction or suggestion for this page</a>
</p>
</div>

<div class="small" style="text-align:right;"><pre>This page has last been revised on 2007/1/22</pre></div>

</body>
</html>
